Research Guides: Children, Youth and Families: Finding Books and Journal Articles

Finding Books at USC

Use the USC Libraries Search and Catalog to find books and e-books that are relevant to your research. Our user's guide for USC Libraries will be helpful. Search for books by title by inputting the title in the search box on the library homepage. If we have the book, it will show up in the results either available as print or ebook.

To find a book on your topic:

Go to the home page of the library: libraries.usc.edu
Select Advanced Search from the drop down next to the search box
On the next page, select Material Type - Books
Type in terms to describe the topic (Example: "post-traumatic stress disorder")
Click Search
To narrow results to e-books, select the filter Available Online

HathiTrust
Scans of public domain books across all subject areas which can be downloaded in their entirety. To enable downloads, please click the “Log In” button and select “University of Southern California” from the dropdown list. You will then be prompted for your USC NetID and password and validated via Shibboleth. You will also find records for works still in copyright, but these can only be searched, not viewed or downloaded.
eBooks on EBSCOhost
This web site provides access to the full-text content of 4,274 e-books purchased by the USC Libraries from netLibrary.

The books are searchable by both author and title. In addition, all books included in this collection are accessible through Homer.
ProQuest Ebook Central
ProQuest Ebook Central is a web-based ebook lending platform.

Multidisciplinary Databases

USC Libraries Search
Access the library catalog, including our online journal collections, images, reports, videos and ebooks.

Google Scholar
Filtered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
ProQuest
Databases of resources for arts, business, humanities, social sciences, science and newspaper resources.
ProQuest Research Library
ProQuest Research Library is a multi-disciplinary index suitable for both undergraduates and graduate students.

It covers dozens of subject areas and indexes thousands of general and scholarly titles and provides full-text for a significant number of the articles included. It is an excellent starting place for research for a paper, particularly if one isn't sure where to begin their research.

Article Databases

The databases below cover specific subjects. Look at the database descriptions to help you select the best database for your topic. For example, PsycINFO covers mental and behavioral health, and would be good for articles about interventions or depression. Use our A-Z database list to find more databases beyond common social work topics.

Child Development & Adolescent Studies
Child Development & Adolescent Studies includes all issues of Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography from 1927 to 2001, previously published by the Society for Research in Child Development, and new coverage on child rights and welfare issues. It includes more than 417,000 records with over 18,000 new records added each year.
ERIC (EBSCO)
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, contains more than 1.3 million records and links to more than 323,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966.
Family Studies Abstracts
Family Studies Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to family studies, including marriage, divorce, family therapy, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains over 45,000 records.
LGBT Life with Full Text
LGBT Life is the premier resource to the world's literature regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual issues.

Comprehensive coverage includes traditional academic, lifestyle, and regional publications, as well as non-periodical content such as non-fiction books, bibliographies and dissertations. Disciplines include athletics, health, law, sociology, family, religion, civil liberties, employment and entertainment.
PsycINFO
Abstract and citation database of scholarly literature in psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, reports, theses, and dissertations from 1806 to present.
PubMed
PubMed provides access to millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Limit your search to 'free full-text' to find items freely available without subscriptions.
Social Work Abstracts
Abstract database of social work literature from 1977 to present. Topics include homelessness, child and family welfare, AIDs, aging, substance abuse, community organization, and more.
Violence & Abuse Abstracts
Violence & Abuse Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to violence and abuse, including family violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline.

The index contains 35,000 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources within the discipline.

Scholarly Journals

For more journals on issues related to children, youth and families, browse our Journals List.